The Christopher Paul case: a potential case study of the
Islamization of America Submitted by admin on Fri, 2007-04-13 12:32. Editorials
"At last inspection, Mr. Al-Akhras and Mr. Mirza, we have not seen any torch-carrying Christian fundamentalists beating down the doors of the neighborhood mosques in Columbus over the arrest of Christopher PAUL. Conversely, the element of the American public paying attention to the strategies and tactics of the duplicitous can feel the heat of the torches you carry."--Douglas J. Hagmann
By Douglas J. Hagmann, Director
13 April 2007: Everyone in America needs to understand that our enemy, Islamists whose goal is nothing less than turning the US into an Islamic state, divide and destroy us from within and cripple us as a world power, are here en masse and actively working toward this goal. Over the past generation and despite the September 11, 2001 attacks, Islamists with malevolent intentions have been welcomed into America and coddled with classic Western naivety, to the peril of every citizen of this country.
It is incumbent for everyone to understand that our enemy has adopted a two-prong approach that is enjoying significant and unprecedented success. First, we have Muslim "activists," posing as proponents of religious equality using our own laws and freedoms to provide practical and legal sanctuary to a secondary group of Islamists. This second group consists of the actual warriors of Islamic jihad. The latter lack the polished sophistication and patience of the former, and are training to conduct actual terrorist operations in the U.S. While the actual jihadist foot soldiers are actively engaged in survival and paramilitary training, teaching other followers their skills, and disseminating instructional materials over the Internet, through mosques, Islamic centers, Muslim bookstores and other outlets in America, the former group runs "operational interference" through the use of well polished “good-will ambassadors” who are duping otherwise educated and reasonable Americans, from the citizens at large to members of the media, and even our own politicians and law enforcement officials, into believing that the intentions of both groups are benign. Nothing can be further from the truth, and the longer we ignore this strategy, the more effective this strategy becomes. Click "read more" above to continue reading.
This strategy for the Islamization of America needs to be understood and exposed in order to be defeated. Recent and historical examples of this strategy at work are plentiful, and have recently taken on a more aggressive approach since the 1990’s. Perhaps the best current example of this strategy can be observed with the case of Christopher PAUL, the Columbus, Ohio man arrested this week on terror related charges. PAUL, 43 a U.S. citizen and self-proclaimed follower of Islamic jihad, faces a number of charges that would identify him as a member of the latter group previously referenced. Although he has not yet been convicted of any crime, it is of critical importance to observe the process of this criminal prosecution from its inception to identify the tactics I reference herein.
Immediately following the announcement of PAUL’S arrest, Ahmad Al-Akhras, vice chair of the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has publicly voiced concern over a "potential public backlash against the Muslim community," while concurrently planting the seeds of doubt about the government’s case in the minds of anyone who will listen. According to Al-Akhras, he knows the defendant and claims that the charges are "out of character." He has publicly described PAUL as "a loving husband," adding that his wife and parents "are a good family…"
Without regard to the guilt or innocence of PAUL, it is important to note that the public posture of Al-Akhras is one of possible or anticipated victimization of the Muslim community in Columbus. This victimization status has been an instrumental tactic in shifting the focus from the event (in this case, the arrest of Christopher PAUL), to a misguided perception that lacks any historical foundation. Nonetheless, it is the cornerstone by which the public case of religious persecution will be built.
Next, Adnan Mirza, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Columbus, Ohio, has gone on the record to state that "it's unfair to judge the whole Muslim community based on allegations against one individual," also noting, "Thus far we haven't heard of any threats." Said Mirza, "We all try to be a little bit more vigilant. I would think the community has come closer because we all are viewed with suspicious eyes.” Once again, despite the complete absence of any such public outcry against the Muslim community in Columbus or elsewhere, an advocate for the Muslim community is shifting the focus from the charges against PAUL and advancing the notion of religious victimization and profiling.
The guilt or innocence of Christopher PAUL will be decided in and confined to a court of law based on the weight of evidence against him. Meanwhile, the unrestrained court of public opinion is being actively and effectively manipulated by unsubstantiated allegations of religious discrimination, profiling, and the completely unfounded characterizations of a non-existent “lynch-mob” mentality by Americans against the Muslim community at large.
At last inspection, Mr. Al-Akhras and Mr. Mirza, we have not seen any torch-carrying Christian fundamentalists beating down the doors of the neighborhood mosques in Columbus over the arrest of Christopher PAUL. Conversely, the element of the American public paying attention to the strategies and tactics of the duplicitous can feel the heat of the torches you carry.
Ohio Man Accused Of Plot With Al Qaeda
CBS News Interactive: War On Terror
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ― A federal grand jury indicted a U.S. citizen on charges of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to bomb European tourist resorts and U.S. government facilities and military bases overseas.
The investigation of Christopher Paul, 43, of Columbus, spanned four years, three continents and at least eight countries, FBI agent Tim Murphy said Thursday.
Paul trained with al Qaeda in the early 1990s, according to the indictment issued Wednesday. It says he told al Qaeda members in Pakistan and Afghanistan that he was dedicated to committing violent jihad.
"The indictment of Christopher Paul paints a disturbing picture of an American who traveled overseas to train as a violet jihadist, joined the ranks of al Qaeda and provided military instruction and support to radial cohorts both here and abroad," Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein said in a statement.
Paul, who was arrested Wednesday outside his apartment, is charged with providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to provide support to terrorists and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Paul was to appear in U.S. District Court for an initial appearance Thursday. His attorney, Don Wolery, did not return a message seeking comment before the hearing.
The indictment says that Paul traveled to Germany about April 1999 to train co-conspirators to use explosives to attack European and U.S. targets, including government buildings and vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
It does not name specific resorts or buildings that might have been targeted, but gives U.S. embassies, military bases and consular premises in Europe as examples.
Paul later sent a wire transfer of $1,760 from a financial institution in the U.S. to an alleged co-conspirator in Germany, prosecutors allege.
A fax machine in him home contained names, phone numbers and contact information for key al Qaeda leadership and associates, according to the indictment.
Paul also is accused of storing material at his father's house in Columbus, including a book on improvised land mines, money from countries in the Middle East and a letter to his parents explaining that he would be "on the front lines," according to the indictment.
His sister, Sandra Laws, answered the door at the home and said she and her father live there. She said the family will be speaking to Paul's attorney later Thursday and declined further comment.
No charges are expected against family members, authorities said.
Paul was born Paul Kenyatta Laws. He legally changed his name to Abdulmalek Kenyatta in 1989, then to Christopher Paul in 1994, according to the indictment.
After finishing his al Qaeda training in the early 1990s, he returned to Columbus to teach martial arts at a mosque, the indictment said.
Two other Columbus men have been charged in federal investigators' terrorism investigation. Iyman Faris was sentenced in 2003 to 20 years in prison for a plot to topple the Brooklyn Bridge. Nuradin Abdi, accused of plotting to blow up a Columbus-area shopping mall, is awaiting trial on charges including conspiring to aid terrorists.